commercial journalists’ absurd sense of entitlement

Earlier this week I received an email from Age journalist Suzanne Carbone. I get emails from Fairfax and News Ltd journalists from time to time asking for comment. They seem to think I should, and would want to, jump at the chance to help them, even to give them my content for free so they can sell it to media corporations. They have an immense sense of entitlement and are entirely deluded about their supposed importance.

The email read ‘Hello Brian, could you phone or email me about resistance from the north about the southside coming to visit, esp queuing outside Gelato Messina.’ This nonsense annoyed me. As far as I know, Gelato Messina originated in Sydney, not Chapel St. And resistance? Did she think the East-West tunnel picketers were going to turn up to blockade an icecream shop?

It was unclear whether Carbone was opposed to the icecream shop itself or the concept of queuing to buy icecream. Neither seem to be specifically southside. Is queuing not authentically northside? Tell that to the people who queue to get into the Perseverence or Naked for Satan. Fitzroy has been the birthplace of successful franchises, including Trampoline icecream and San Churro churros. The concept of such fast food business franchises is clearly not a southside import.

I replied saying ‘What’s in it for me?’ I thought this would get rid of her, but it didn’t. She replied by saying ‘that’s not very neighbourly. your name in print in a respected newspaper?’ I had to laugh. Respected newspaper? Not. My name in print? I don’t care. It means nothing to me.

It’s hilarious when journalists know that Fitzroyalty exists but not enough about it to engage with it appropriately, in other words with a degree of informed professionalism. Carbone was apparently unaware of my dislike of her employer, or that I had published my most recent critique of the Age only a few days previously.

I stopped buying print newspapers sometime in the middle of the previous decade. I publish my writing in my own platform and receive plenty of comments from readers. I don’t need exposure in a newspaper, so why would I waste my time helping them to do their jobs? Moreover, I resent their unjustified self-importance. I don’t exist to provide free soundbites to paid journalists. They don’t provide a community service, so they should not appeal to my neighbourlyness.

The article in The Age this morning is trite. The overflowing council litter bin on the corner of St. David and Gore streets in Fitzroy attracts almost as many e-taggers as Messina ice-cream store and Jimmy Grants in their eagerness to dump their unwanted plastic spoons, paper tubs and wrappers in and around it. Most of the ‘grit’ and grunge in Fitzroy these days seems to be largely imported by the “out of towers” referred to by the journalist.

Quite badly written. I’ve read it twice now and I still can’t figure out what point it is supposed to be making (Melbourne has a north and a south? Some people live in one part of the city and others live in the other part?).

She found someone to give her the quote she wanted though (or just made one up). That could’ve been you, Brian. It could have been you…

I think the journalists reputation for producing rubbish is justified by the article (which I only read because of your post). No surprises here for Julia Gillard style “us v them”approch. One of those hindsight moments I think – “thank God I wasn’t involved”

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